Seaside Hotel Gran Canaria Palm Beach

Maspalomas is not as built up as its noisy neighbour Playa del Inglés, so hotels tend to be closer to the beach from which the resort takes its name; Seaside Palm Beach is no exception. The dunes and the five-mile stretch of shoreline that make up a coastal nature reserve are within comfortable walking distance. The drive from the island’s airport can be done in under half an hour.

Style & character

German property magnate Theo Gerlach arrived on Gran Canaria in 1970, nine years after Maspalomas first marketed itself as a tourist destination. He subsequently bought three plots of land and Seaside Hotels was born. Seaside Palm Beach opened in 1975 and became the inaugural five-star member of Design Hotels on the island. In 2002, celebrated architect and designer Alberto Pinto was commissioned to oversee a makeover. He rewound the clock to the Seventies, when Palm Beach was constructed in homage to the hotels of Miami. Colours are big and bold, but reflect the hotel’s location. Vivid oranges and yellows represents the sun, beige the sand, and blues the ocean and sky.

Service & facilities

We were greeted with a complimentary glass of cava (white or pink) while our three sons were treated to their choice of juice or water. Reception helpfully provided a map of the hotel, explaining where everything was. The spa is open daily from 10am to 8pm for treatments, but the sauna and steam rooms can only be used between 4pm and 8pm. The freshwater pool was where we spent most time though, enjoying swimming to the palm island in the middle and lapping up the rays. There’s also an astroturf tennis court where you can make use of a coach if you want to work on your game, and an outdoor gym with the option of a personal trainer.

Bar

Beach

Fitness centre

Golf course

Kids' club

Laundry

Parking

Pool

Restaurant

Room service

Sauna

Spa

Steam room/hammam

Tennis court

Wi-Fi

Rooms

Our interconnecting fifth-floor rooms, resembling art installations, were bright but a little bit tight for our family of five, although the hotel's accommodation is not so much of a squeeze for two adults and two children. The zig zags on the colourful carpets were a lot of fun, as were the maverick prints on the wall.

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Food & drink

Booked in on a half-board basis, we took our dinner (served from 6.30-10pm) at the main restaurant (also open for lunch from 1-4pm), outside on the terrace. Four nights of the week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday) there’s an à la carte menu, while on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday there’s a barbecue. A children's menu is available, and if you suffer from any allergies, the menu couldn’t be clearer about what you can and can’t eat.

Desserts and cheese are arranged buffet style, as is the breakfast, although chefs make omelettes to order. I’d never seen so many different freshly-squeezed juices before. There are also the Mediterranean-flavoured Esencia and La Bodega tapas restaurants, which half-board guests can pay an extra supplement to dine at. Elsewhere, the Bar Africano (open 11am-11pm) offers sandwiches and snacks. The showy Bar Salón next to the main restaurant offers aperitifs and cocktails from 6pm to 1am.

Access for guests with disabilities?

The hotel has been designed with visitors of reduced mobility very much in mind, and there are fully adapted rooms.

Family-friendly?

Yes. During the main holiday periods, there’s a full activity programme for children, although the mini kids' club opens all year round. Visiting in October, there were fewer families around than at other times of the year, so we were a bit conscious of bothering other guests, to the extent that it was almost a relief when a more boisterous family entered the main pool, to drown out our noise. The kids’ pool has water-polo goals that we used for a closely-fought game.